So, what’s good?  Anything with pork.  The BLT  with ham, bacon, tomato, lettuce and a jazzed up “shack aioli” all piled on lightly grilled (thickly sliced) brioche bread ($8)–a sumptuous mouthful.  If you see it on the menu, the eggplant, tomato and blue cheese appetizer features lightly breaded and deep fried  Japanese eggplant rounds stacked with the other ingredients on two long toothpicks ($4). Ask for the skinny cut fries to be cooked crisp unless you like them soft and wimpy ($2.50).  A local organic half roasted chicken missed in flavor and preparation–bland at best and a special one day.  Other menu items include carnitas taco or torta ($7), steak sandwich ($9), Shack burger ($9) panzanella salad ($7)  and glazed pork belly with frisee salad ($7).  Generous portions too.

You’ll find chef/owner Hanis Cavin at the stove when you peek through the order window.   Buzz would love to know why the zippy side/slaw that comes with many of the dishes is  out-of-season corn?   Why not local corn for summer and cabbage for winter?  2632 University Avenue, North Park, 619-294-7675.  Open noon to midnight, closed Tuesday.

1.  The unexpected death of Naomi Wise, San Diego’s only truly anonymous food critic.  She wrote for the San Diego Reader and was scrupulous to keep her identity hidden.  I was an occasional member of her eating posse as she sometimes referred to her dining companions.  Back in 2007 a post appeared here and Naomi wrote a perfect comment about what she did to be the critical and (sometimes unpopular) restaurant reviewer in the county.   While San Diego does have writers and bloggers extolling the latest dish about a place, none are completely anonymous–ask any of the PR agencies that host media dinners.   These days, everyone thinks they know food, just look at Twitter, Facebook, Yelp and other social media.  Naomi’s  honest, food knowledgeable voice will be missed.

2.   National TV beckoned Nine-Ten‘s chef Jason Knibb who took on Bobby Flay in an Iron Chef America challenge.  Knibb lost but had a good time with the “all business” Flay who barely bothered to speak to Knibb after the show.  Riviera Magazine lost food writer and editor Troy Johnson to San Diego Magazine.  Along the way he had time to create and star in  Crave, a new show for the Food Network.  Bernard Guillas, executive chef extraordinaire at The Marine Room appeared twice on the Today Showand also was inducted into the Maitre Cuisiniers de France, a very high honor.

3.  Brian Malarkey who brought us Searsucker continues on a material tear, opening places all over the county, all named for fabrics that include Burlap and for 2012, Herringbone, Gingham, and Gabardine.  Interesting concept and Buzz wonders if he didn’t get the idea from Washington DC chef/owner Tom Power who, a few years ago, named his first restaurant Corduroy.  His second, Herringbone opens in 2012.  Malarkey picked up the shuttered La Playa Bistro and plans for it to become Gabardine. It will be worth watching how Malarkey unbuttons this small space located on a corner at the end of Point Loma’s business area.  For anyone other than area residents the restaurant’s location is nearly a dead-end destination.  And what about the food?  Will Malarkey’s name be enough to fill the spot?  Someone remarked the restaurant could have had a more nautical name such as Canvas, to reflect the neighborhood’s well-known tenant-–the San Diego Yacht Club is just two blocks away.

4.  Chefs making news:  Amy DiBiase now oversees The Shores in La Jolla, working with executive chef  Bernard Guillas; Paul McCabe left his executive chef duties at Del Mar’s Kitchen 1540 for a partnership with the owners of Rancho Santa Fe’s Delicias; Jason Maitland left Flavor del Mar and will open Red Light District in the old Sushi Itto in the Gaslamp while CIA schooled and highly credentialed Brian Redzikowski took Maitland’s spot.  Chad White jetted to Sea Rocket Bistro in North Park.  At the Hotel Del Coronado’s 1500 Ocean Brian Sinnott chose family over running the kitchen, Aaron Martinez is now in charge and wine director Joe Weaver just moved north.  Jason Shaeffer opened 1500 Ocean in 2006, then moved to Windsor, Colorado, bought a restaurant, named it  Chimney Park Restaurant and Bar and was just named one of OpenTable Diner’s Choice Overall Winners for 2011 (as was Addison at the Grand Del Mar).  Carl Schroeder made it to the semi-finals for a James Beard Foundation Award in the Best Chef Pacific region (as was William Bradley of Addison in 2010), neither made the finals…

5.  San Diegans like to drink.  According to a survey in The Daily Beast , San Diego ranks 9th in drunkest cities…This may not be an honor the city needs.

Happy New Year…May 2012 bring San Diego’s chefs, restaurants and diners great food (and service, too).  And perhaps this year will bring a James Beard Foundation award to a deserving chef and restaurant.  It’s last minute, but you can put in your own nominees for the awards here–just do it before December 31, 2011 at midnight.

Caffè Vergnano 1882 opened this week in Hillcrest and Buzz has tried it and it’s good.  Owner Hector Rabellino comes from Genoa and soon you can also expect to find savory sandwiches, pizza and focaccia to munch while you enjoy an espresso.   If you want a proper coffee, espresso to be exact, this place (as well as Caffé Calabria in North Park and Little Italy’s  Caffe Italia) are the three best around–they understand that a shot isn’t a half a large cup of coffee but one that fits perfectly in a small ceramic cup.

Chef Chad White has joined Sea Rocket Bistro in North Park  as executive chef and partner. Look for menu changes in the next few weeks.

Italy comes to San Diego in a great way:  fabulous espresso.  Look for Caffè Vergnano 1882 to open by the end of April in Hillcrest. You’ll find it mid block on the left hand side of  Fifth Avenue between University and and Robinson. Buzz sampled this coffee recently while in New York.  The coffee is in Mario Batali’s homage to everything Italian–the mega Italian grocery and eatery known as Eataly.  Caffè Vergnano’s arrival in San Diego, for espresso lovers, will be the place for a properly pulled shot (and a good addition to the neighborhood with Chocolat just down the street).  For more information: 619-255-1882.

Au Revoir Bistro finally opened in the old La Vache site in Hillcrest (Robinson and Fourth).  This is the latest venture from the group that owns Arrivederci Ristorante among others in Hillcrest, North Park, La Jolla and Point Loma.

If you’re looking for unusual Italian and American small food and wine producer, Corti Brothers in Sacramento is worth checking out.  Should you want Delamain Grande Champagne Cognac 1982, or panettone from two of Italy’s well-known bakeries, Loison and Bardi, or aged aceto balsamico, be sure to read the newsletters on the website.  Owner Darrell Corti is renowned for his food and wine knowledge and this well-established  family business has been around since 1947.  5810 Folsom Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95819, 800-509-3663 and the website for more information.

Congratulations to Lisa Redwine (General Manager, The Shores Restaurant) and Ted Glennon (Wine Director, 1500 Ocean) two of San Diego’s well-known wine directors who just passed The Court of Master Sommeliers Level 3 Advanced course and tests on their way to Master Sommelier.  They join advanced sommelier  Jesse Rodriguez (Wine Director, The Grand Del Mar) and hope to become master sommeliers, an august group of just 174 worldwide.  The first American Master Sommelier is another San Diegan, Eddie Osterland.

Foodbuzzsd will take a short break until the New Year unless there is breaking news. Happy Holidays to you all

Executive chef Matt Smith, will move from Winesellar & Brasserie to The 3rd Corner’s soon-to-open third location in Palm Desert.  Smith is from Indio and this move will let him be closer to home as well as run Ed Moore’s newest restaurant that opens late June. Desert goers will find the restaurant at the junction of Highways 111 and 74 in the old Palomino site.

Blanca lost chef Jason Neroni who quickly realized that San Diego diners weren’t ready to expand their eating habits to include pork in a various ways or foods cooked sous vide, so he packed up and went back to his New York roots.  In his place,  Gavin Schmidt who just arrived from San Francisco with a resume that includes work as executive chef at the highly rated  Campton Place and chef de cuisine at the two-star Michelin rated  Coi.  We wish him well.

Executive chef Bernard Guillas of The Marine Room , just returned from New York where he launched his cookbook: Flying Pans: Two Chefs, One World.

Buzz fav, Avenue 5 Restaurant & Bar on Fifth between Nutmeg and Oliver, decided to take on the burger craze in a more interesting way.  Every Wednesday is Bodacious Burger night from 5pm to close.  What kind of burgers?  Interesting round-the-world flavored burgers that arrive with six ounces of protein, a small salad, truffle fries and a dill pickle spear and range from $10.95 to $14.95 and include the Aussie lamb burger, the Scottish salmon burger, the Frenchie burger, portobello burger and others.  Closed Monday.

Tuesdays at Jayne’s Gastropub in North Park features a Jayne burger and any draft beer for $15.

Roseville in Point Loma has a new menu created by chef Chad White with prices $20 and under along with bar food choices and nightly specials.  They do need to get their website updated however, as former executive chef Amy DiBiase now heads the Glass Door (with a great view of the bay and Little Italy) at the Hotel Porto Vista.

Tommy Pastrami, with some of the best pastrami and corned beef on corned rye bread is finally opening this summer.  Buzz mentioned them a year ago but they clearly had some problems getting the space finished downtown at 555 West C at Fifth between Broadway and C.

**Downtown, we’re hearing the Ivy will soon have a new management company.  What that means for Quarter Kitchen, and the rest of the property, well, time will tell.  Stay tuned.

**Opening in February, across the street from Ivy, in the former site of EXY, Jared Van Camp, well-known Chicago chef will oversee the kitchen of Quality Social.  From their press release:  “no guest list, no cover, no dress code. The destination will carefully pay tribute to the most treasured elements of the iconic dive bar, with a devil-may-care attitude serving as a visceral component. “  Sounds like a no pretense place that will serve house made charcuterie and some fun dishes such as a BLT with a confit of pork belly and heirloom tomatoes, or a smoked in-house hot dog served in a Pabst Blue Ribbon carton.  And no frilly drinks, either.  More to come when it opens.

**Pizza seems to be the latest inexpensive comfort food to blanket San Diego.  Coming in April, the second location of URBN opens in North Park at University and 31^st. The coal fired pizza joint is Jon Magnin’s spin-off of BASIC Urban Kitchen + Bar.  He opened his first URBN in Vista in 2008 and plans to open 10 to 15 more up and down the coast.

**Support your local restaurants and dine out during San Diego’s restaurant week that runs from January 17 to January 22.  Check for the participating restaurants and their menus (three-courses for $20, $30 and $40, depending on the venue).  This is a good time to try new places and support our local restaurant economy.

**The Counter Burger arrived in Carlsbad and if you’re in the area of Calle Barcelona and the shops in the Forum at Carlsbad, this franchise that began in Santa Monica in 2004 is making waves.   It’s a build your own burger joint and should do well in North County.  Buzz hasn’t tried it yet.

The Linkery will take over the recently closed Aperitivo space just down the street from their current location on 30th near University. Look for a Summer 2010 open with a California-Spanish-Baja small plate affordable concept.  More to be fleshed out in the coming months.

Join the all-you-can-eat Chefs Celebration finale for this year’s Beer Week.  Sixteen chefs and eight breweries are paired for fun and food from 1 pm to 4pm at the Irwin Jacobs Hall on the Qualcom Campus and all for $65.

We’re hearing Phil’s BBQ could open a North County joint in the up coming months.  The exact location not secure, but perhaps in the San Marcos vicinity.

At Roseville, there’s a fun menu featuring Shipyard’s limited edition brews from chef Amy DiBiase’s home state, Maine.  Reservations a must for this all-inclusive $65 dinner also on November 12 . Call 619-450-6800.

If  bubbles are more your style, don’t miss Winesellar & Brasserie’s annual Le Grande Champagne Tasting on November 14 that includes Ruinart, Taittinger and Krug among many top producers.  For $85 it’s a deal that includes appetizers to match the various Champagnes.  Reservations a must:  858-450-9557.

Thanksgiving is around the corner and you can order a turkey from any of your favorite meat markets.  La Jolla’s Homegrown Meats will have local free-range California turkeys as well as spiral hams and meats.  For information and to order call  858-454-6328.

Celebrate Thanksgiving by not cooking and supporting Slow Food Urban San Diego at a November 19 dinner at UCSD.  Jeff Jackson, executive chef at A.R. Valentien will cook local pastured turkeys from Womach Ranch.  For information and tickets or call 619-972-3500.

It’s finally official from the buzz that’s been brewing (and from the looks of the cleared tables, no cloths and no setups), Laurel Restaurant & Bar is reinventing its concept and we hope this time it will include a new name.  Possibly small plates, possibly Italian, and likely we will just have to wait and see what happens in the next few weeks when the redo should be done.

The Marine Room features a number of interesting events including a Monday night lobster dinner for $40 and the thrilling high tide dinners June 19 to 24.  The restaurant offers a Fathers Day dinner as well, and with executive chef Bernard Guillas at the helm, the food is always a treat.

New on Fifth Avenue at Laurel Street, Pizzicato a franchise operation that began in Portland, Oregon. There’s also an Encinitas location. They use fresh local ingredients when possible, and Italian Parmesan too.   Haven’t tried either….While we’re on the subject of pizza, Pizzeria Luigi in Golden Hill currently tops my list with its thinner, New York style crust and quality ingredients.  North Park’s Lefty’s Chicago Pizzeria features thicker crust and equally good toppings along with sandwiches, sausages and pasta and opens its second location mid-June in Mission Hills–on Goldfinch– in the former home of Phil’s BBQ.

Just in time for race season and Wimbleton and the US Open, The Grand Del Mar offers five new cocktails in their Lobby Lounge and The Clubhouse Grill from June 1 to September 7.  Cleverly named for tennis and racing terms (Moonball Pimms Caipirinhi and Bearing Out Breeze, among others) you’ve just got to go try them yourself–especially if you love rum, vodka, Pimm’s Cup and tropical juices–creatively mixed, though not all together.